Lin Changyou recalled the hard times of the past and sighed. "We had no choice. Back then, every family was struggling. We were lucky just to have enough to eat. Your mother was always finding creative ways to feed you kids."
"Other families would just boil their beans, but your mother would roast them until they were fragrant, grind them into a powder, and cook it into a porridge for you. That's how she kept you all fed. It was only during the New Year that people would allow themselves to cook things they normally couldn't bear to eat."
Many families in the brigade had children who died young, but all of his had survived and grown up.
After hearing this, Li Xiangyang was also reminded of the days when his family was sent away for "re-education." He had seen people starve to death with his own eyes.
